243 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
243 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
July 1990
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CAMPUS SECURITY:
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THE MULE PATROL
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By
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James A. Huff
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Director, Public Safety
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Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri
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Rumors of rape being committed at Central Missouri State
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University in Warrensburg, Missouri, created tremendous public
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relations problems for the university. And, even though
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subsequent investigations proved these allegations to be false,
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the rumors could not be quelled.
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To counter the damaging effects, the Department of Public
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Safety initiated a series of public relations efforts. The
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department believed that meetings with the news media, the
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Neighborhood Watch Program, and crime prevention and rape
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awareness presentations would alleviate the problem.
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Unfortunately, this was not the case. Despite all the
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public relations announcements and awareness presentations, the
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rumors prevailed and the university community wanted more.
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Students demanded that campus police patrol residence halls and
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parking lots more frequently. Faculty and staff members also
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made similar requests for academic and office buildings. But,
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because campus crime did not statistically increase in recent
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years, hiring additional officers could not be justified.
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As a result, the administrative staff of the Department of
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Public Safety explored other alternatives. One viable option
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was to establish a student security patrol. A number of
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universities used student patrols to supplement their campus
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police forces with positive results. However, before initiating
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such a program at the university, several areas needed to be
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addressed:
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. How would the security patrol be funded?
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. What name would be given to the patrol?
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. How would the student employees be identified as members
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of a student security force?
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. What would their responsibilities be?
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. How many students would be hired, and what would be their
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qualifications?
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These questions needed to be answered before any further
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planning could continue.
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Funding
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In 1985 the Director of Public Safety received permission to
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implement a student security force to assist the campus police,
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with one provision. Because of fiscal constraints, no State
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funding could be used in support of the project. Funding would
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have to come from other sources within the university, especially
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those operating within the auxiliary budget.
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One main area of the university that needed additional
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security was the 60 campus parking lots, in view of the recent
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increase of vandalism and theft from vehicles, especially at
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night. Therefore, funding for 50 percent of the student security
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force came from the parking lot operation, which is a budgeted
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auxiliary service.
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The Department of Residential Life, which has
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responsibility for all residence halls, is also an auxiliary
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enterprise. And, because the students requested more foot
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patrols within the residence halls, funding from this source was
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also targeted. After realizing the benefits an added sense of
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security would project to the students living on campus, the
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Director of Residential Life agreed to fund the remaining 50
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percent of the student security force. The biggest hurdle,
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funding, had just been cleared.
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What's in a Name
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Choosing a name for the student security force was the next
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consideration. The name selected had to be one that would lend
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an esprit de corps. After much deliberation, the student
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security force was named the Mule Patrol, since the university's
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mascot is the mule.
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Identification
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The university believed that it was important for Mule
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Patrol officers to wear uniforms, but the uniform had to be
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easily distinguishable from the navy blue uniform of the
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university police. The uniform selected for the Mule Patrol
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consists of a white shirt, black pants, and a baseball-type hat.
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Sewn on the shirt is the Mule Patrol patch.
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Responsibilities of the Mule Patrol
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One critical question was, ``What would be the job
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responsibilities of the Mule Patrol?'' To arrive at an answer,
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university administrators asked various campus groups what
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security measures they would like to see implemented. The
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feedback revealed that high visibility on campus was the primary
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concern.
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To define more specific responsibilities of the Mule Patrol,
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coordinators interviewed the student patrol force of another
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university campus. This student patrol force operated
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successfully for several years. However, what works well for one
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campus may not work at all for another. Fortunately, this was
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not the case. Many of the concepts and ideas of the veteran
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student patrol force were incorporated into the Mule Patrol.
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The job responsibilities and regulations for the Mule Patrol
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were defined and implemented. Specifically, Mule Patrol
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officers:
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. Do not carry weapons of any type
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. Have no arrest powers. Their primary function is to observe
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and report
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. Cannot leave their assigned patrol area without permission
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of their supervisor
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. Are under the direction of the Department of Public Safety
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. Must be courteous and professional at all times, especially
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with the public
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. Must render assistance to everyone to the best of their
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ability
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Mule Patrol officers are expected to adhere to higher standards
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as compared to other student employee positions on the campus.
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Selection Process
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To begin, the university set specific qualifications for
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Mule Patrol officers. First, the student must be enrolled at
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the university and have completed at least 30 hours with a
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minimum grade point average of 2.3. Also, a criminal justice
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major was not a prerequisite. And, although not a requirement
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for the position, the Department of Public Safety preferred to
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hire students who demonstrated active involvement in college
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life, such as members of activity groups or residence hall
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councils.
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After meeting the necessary qualifications, the student
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then appears before an oral selection committee composed of
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students, faculty and staff. This allows the committee to
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determine an applicant's views about the position. It also
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provides insight into the applicant's personality, community
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service commitment and attitudes about the university and the
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public safety department. After the oral selection process, a
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background investigation is conducted on each applicant to assure
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that the applicant has not been involved in any illegal activity.
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On Patrol
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The Mule Patrol can be described as students protecting
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students. They patrol the academic buildings, residence halls
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and parking lots and report any suspicious or criminal activity
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that they witness. Their equipment consists of a flashlight and
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a two-way portable radio, which allows them to talk on the
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police frequency to the dispatcher, campus police patrol
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vehicles, and city police patrol vehicles. There are four Mule
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Patrol officers on duty each night when the university is in
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session.
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Mule Patrol officers are assigned to one of four zones when
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they report for duty. Within each zone are specific buildings,
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parking lots, and athletic areas that they are required to
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patrol. If a particular area within the zones has a specific
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security problem, this information is noted at the beginning of
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each shift and relayed to the Mule Patrol officer assigned to
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that zone at the beginning of the following shift. Mule Patrol
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officers are also required to report any safety-related problems
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that they may encounter, such as hazardous materials improperly
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secured or stored and inoperative fire alarm systems or fire
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extinguishers. Mule Patrol officers also provide crowd control
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and security at concerts and major athletic events. Many times,
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they team up with police officers. Future plans are being made
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to have them assist in the dispatch centers as back-up
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dispatchers.
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Mule Patrol officers do not write parking tickets or perform
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other such negative duties. The department believes that if the
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Mule Patrol officers are not given any negative responsibilities,
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the student body and the university community would view the
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project in a more positive light, an assumption proven to be
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correct.
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Project's Expectations
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The Mule Patrol project has been in place for a little more
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than 3 years and has met and even exceeded the department's
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expectations. Within the first few months, the rumors of rapes
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on campus were virtually eliminated. The entire campus community
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soon realized that there were people patrolling the campus on
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foot each night.
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The Mule Patrol has also been instrumental in apprehending
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several automobile thieves who were working university parking
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lots. The Patrol has also gathered information that helped to
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solve a variety of crimes, such as burglaries, larcenies, and
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drug cases. The Department of Public Safety has also used Mule
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Patrol personnel on surveillance exercises, especially in parking
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lots, with excellent results. Mule Patrol officers also serve as
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excellent ambassadors for the department in its recruiting
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efforts for various positions. These procedures have reduced the
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amount of overtime required for police officers and, thus, have
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saved the university money and reduced officer burnout.
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Currently, project expansion is under way because the Mule
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Patrol program has been so successful and beneficial. The
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university now realizes that a student security force acts as
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additional eyes and ears to the regular university police force.
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In fact, during the past academic year, the number of Mule Patrol
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officers increased from 12 to 16.
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Conclusion
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Thorough planning and positive supervision have contributed
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to the success of the Mule Patrol. However, student security
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officers must know the importance of their jobs to the academic
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community, and that they are a vital part of a team. After all,
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they are not only representing the university and the Department
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of Public Safety, but most importantly, they are representing
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themselves.
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The positive aspects of the Mule Patrol are clearly
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evident. The rumors of rapes on campus have been eliminated,
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and the campus community now enjoys a heightened sense of
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security. The Mule Patrol officers have become more personally
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involved and more serious about their responsibilities to the
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campus community. But, the most positive byproduct of the Mule
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Patrol program is that students are protecting students.
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